..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi isn’t in Barcelona contract talks but wants to stay for ‘as long as possible’


Lionel Messi has eased fears regarding an exit clause in his contract at Barcelona, stating that he wants to stay at the club for “as long as possible”, but admits he is not discussing fresh terms.

It has been revealed that the Argentine superstar can walk away from Camp Nou at the end of the season, if he so wishes.He is tied to a deal through to 2021, but could break that agreement and take on a new challenge if he decides that there is nothing left for him to achieve in Catalunya.

The 32-year-old has offered no indication that he will be making such a bold call any time soon, with it his intention to remain with Barca for the foreseeable future.

Quizzed by Spanish publication Sport on the exit clause and his plans for it, Messi said: “I can’t confirm anything because there are confidentiality agreements in our contracts.“What I can say is that I want to be at Barcelona as long as possible. I’ve said throughout my career that this is my home.

“But I also don’t want to have a long-term contract and only be here because of it.I want to be here because physically I’m fine, to play and be an important member of the squad.

“And, as I said before, I need to see there’s a winning team because I want to keep winning things at this club.“For me, money or a clause don’t mean anything. Other things motivate me and the most important thing is having a winning team.”

Messi added when pressed further on whether he would like to work on a rolling 12-month contract which would offer him greater freedom: “My idea is to continue here for as long as I can perform well and my body allows me to do that.

“Afterwards, as I said before, my contract isn’t something that worries me or even something I manage myself.“My father handles that with the president or whoever he needs to talk to. I only express my thoughts.

“Obviously, I want to win and I want to win at this club. This is my home. I don’t have any intention of going anywhere but I want to keep competing and winning.”


Barca are understandably keen to get Messi, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, committed to their cause for as long as possible, with a lifetime contract being mooted.It has been suggested that talks over fresh terms are underway, but Messi says that is not the case.

He added: “My father handles that but we aren’t talking with Barca. He would have told me if so.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter 1-0 Udinese: Sensi the difference as Sanchez debuts


Stefano Sensi's goal was the difference as Inter retained their 100 per cent record in Serie A by comfortably beating 10-man Udinese 1-0 on Alexis Sanchez's debut at San Siro.

A nine-minute spell before half-time - during which Rodrigo de Paul was shown a red card for striking Antonio Candreva on the head following the intervention of VAR and Sensi nodded Inter ahead - proved decisive.

Romelu Lukaku endured a disappointing outing and made way for Lautaro Martinez in the 65th minute, before Sanchez replaced Matteo Politano, the Chile forward making his first appearance for the Nerazzurri against one of his former clubs.


While Inter were unable add to their tally, they had already done enough to pick up a third straight win under Antonio Conte and move two points clear of Juventus at the top of the table.Politano went close to putting Inter ahead in the fourth minute when his low drive from 25 yards struck the outside of the post.

Sensi saw a fine volley from the edge of the box pushed aside by Udinese goalkeeper Juan Musso, before Walace was kept out by Samir Handanovic at the other end.

Udinese were reduced to 10 men after 35 minutes when De Paul was shown a red card after referee Maurizio Mariani reviewed footage of his retaliation to Candreva appearing to touch his face.

Inter took advantage a minute before half-time, Sensi getting across Rodrigo Becao and heading a fine delivery from Diego Godin – making his first start since joining from Atletico Madrid – in off the underside of the crossbar.

Kevin Lasagna overpowered Godin but was thwarted by Handanovic, before Musso denied Politano and Roberto Gagliardini – a half-time replacement for Nicolo Barella – before the hour mark.After Musso kept out a Sensi free-kick, an awkward fall for Politano paved the way for Sanchez to enter the fray to a great ovation with 10 minutes remaining.

Sanchez went close to marking his debut with a goal when Candreva's square pass fell to him in the six-yard box, but a scrambling Musso kept him at bay and Inter coasted to the final whistle.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 5-2 Valencia: Fati stars as Celades endures miserable first match

Ansu Fati produced another star performance as Barcelona routed Valencia 5-2 at Camp Nou on Saturday to close the gap to LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid.Winger Fati, just 16, got a goal and an assist for Frenkie de Jong in the first seven minutes of his full debut for the club, having become their youngest league goalscorer as a substitute in the draw with Osasuna last month.

Kevin Gameiro pulled one back for Valencia, who caused a shock this week when they sacked head coach Marcelino and replaced him with the inexperienced Albert Celades, but Gerard Pique effectively killed off the contest 51 minutes in.


Luis Suarez scored his first goal of the season with his second touch after coming on as a substitute and added a late second to seal the win, as Lionel Messi - still not risked following a calf injury - watched on approvingly. Maxi Gomez pinched a late consolation, his first Valencia goal.In just the second minute, Fati met De Jong's cut-back and rifled home his first Camp Nou goal for the club.
He turned provider five minutes later, dancing his way into the box from the left and teeing up De Jong to open his account for the club with a powerful side-foot finish.Barca appeared in total control but allowed Valencia a lifeline when Gameiro sprung the offside trap and slotted in off the left-hand post, a VAR review granting him a reprieve after the goal was initially disallowed.

Ernesto Valverde's side restored Barcelona's two-goal lead six minutes after the interval, as Pique pounced to tap home the rebound after Jasper Cillessen could only parry an Antoine Griezmann shot against the woodwork.

Nelson Semedo then rattled the other post as Suarez came on for Fati, and the Uruguay star promptly scored with his second touch of the ball, feinting before bending a shot into the bottom-left corner.

Suarez hit almost the same spot with eight minutes to go for Barca, further highlighting the difficult task awaiting Celades over the coming weeks.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Sociedad 2-0 Atletico Madrid: Monreal scores on debut as Simeone's side slump to first LaLiga defeat

Atletico Madrid's 100 per cent LaLiga record was emphatically ended on Saturday, as they lost 2-0 to a fired-up Real Sociedad in the first competitive fixture played at the Reale Arena.

Diego Simeone's side had managed three straight wins prior to the international break but turned in a below-par performance on the road, conceding two goals in a costly three-minute spell in the second half.

After a trio of away games at the start of the 2019-20 campaign, Sociedad excelled in front of a raucous crowd at their revamped home, albeit Martin Odegaard's opener owed much to a huge deflection off Stefan Savic.


They doubled their lead soon after through debutant Nacho Monreal, the former Arsenal defender seizing on a loose ball to poke home ahead of Jan Oblak.

Atletico's goalkeeper was injured in trying to prevent Monreal scoring and, after lengthy treatment on the field, was replaced by Antonio Adan, adding further to Simeone's concerns ahead of the start of the Champions League group stage in midweek.Oblak had saved from Mikel Oyarzabal with an outstretched leg in a first half that saw the home side on top, while Savic denied Sociedad's captain when he inadvertently turned away an on-target header with his thigh.

Simeone sent on Marcos Llorente and Angel Correa in an attempt to turn the tide early in the second half, only for the visitors to be laid out by Sociedad's rapid one-two punch.

They had rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Eibar at home last time out but were unable to complete a similar comeback on this occasion, Sociedad goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya denying both Vitolo and Savic with smart saves to keep a clean sheet against his former club on a memorable occasion for the hosts.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

RB Leipzig 1-1 Bayern Munich: Forsberg penalty frustrates Bundesliga champions


Robert Lewandowski's 199th goal for Bayern Munich was not enough to claim the points as RB Leipzig fought back through Emil Forsberg's penalty to draw 1-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

In their first meeting with Leipzig since a 3-0 DFB-Pokal final win in May, Lewandowski edged closer to a double century of Bayern goals to put Niko Kovac's side ahead.But, after Bayern had a penalty overturned by VAR, Forsberg levelled matters from 12 yards on the stroke of half-time.

A rejuvenated Leipzig found Manuel Neuer in top form after the restart, though Bayern would have snatched it had Peter Gulacsi not managed to tip Kingsley Coman's deflected effort onto the woodwork as Leipzig held firm to move back into top spot after being briefly replaced by Borussia Dortmund.

Leipzig's support was in full voice before kick-off, but the home fans were silenced within three minutes when Lewandowski raced onto Thomas Muller's pass and coolly slotted beyond Gulacsi.Lukas Klostermann wasted a chance to provide a swift response when he blasted over, while Lewandowski passed up two presentable opportunities.

Lewandowski looked set to have the chance to score his 200th Bayern goal when the visitors were awarded a penalty for a foul on Lucas Hernandez, but the referee changed his decision after a VAR check.Bayern's frustrations were compounded in first-half stoppage time, Hernandez bringing down Yussuf Poulsen and Forsberg stepping up to tuck home from 12 yards.

Bayern would have restored their lead if not for a last-ditch block from Ibrahima Konate, before Neuer brilliantly denied Marcel Sabitzer on the hour.Gulacsi made an outstanding save of his own soon after, denying Corentin Tolisso, with Timo Werner drilling wide at the other end.

Leipzig's goalkeeper had the final say, though, preventing Coman's strike looping in before he appeared to get a hand to Niklas Sule's last-gasp header to ensure a deserved share of the spoils.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Norwich City 3-2 Manchester City: Mistakes punished as champions rocked at Carrow Road

Norwich City shocked Premier League champions Manchester City 3-2 at Carrow Road despite the Canaries coping with a massive injury crisis.

The visitors' first league loss since January was self-inflicted as defenders made regular errors, but Norwich, whose goals came from Kenny McLean, Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki, fully deserved their second home win since sealing promotion.

Rodri drilled home with two minutes to go to give City hope of a point but defeat on Saturday leaves them five points behind Liverpool in the table, with the Reds holding a 100 per cent record after five Premier League games.


Norwich were without 11 players due to injury and had to name two goalkeepers on the bench, but Daniel Farke's men took a shock lead in the 18th minute.

City's weakness from near-post corners is well known and when Emiliano Buendia floated Norwich's first set-piece into that area, McLean ran into space to power home a superb header.

It got worse for the champions 10 minutes later. Rodri lost a 50-50 on halfway and City were immediately exposed with Pukki able to easily advance and square for Cantwell to score.

Raheem Sterling's header hit the post as City aimed to respond and Sergio Aguero halved the deficit before the break by nodding home a perfectly placed left-wing Bernardo Silva centre.

Nicolas Otamendi's moment of madness presented Norwich with a gift of a third after the restart, Buendia robbing the defender and feeding Pukki for an easy finish - his eighth goal of the season for club and country.

Pep Guardiola sent on Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez from the bench but the cavalry could not rescue the champions, although Rodri's 20-yard drive flew past Tim Krul to leave Norwich to see out a nervy finale.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United 1-0 Leicester City: Rashford on the spot to get Red Devils winning again

Marcus Rashford's penalty was enough to give Manchester United a 1-0 Premier League victory over Leicester City on Saturday.The England striker, who missed from 12 yards in the 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace last month, made no mistake this time at Old Trafford as United ended a three-game winless league run.

Leicester had only beaten the Red Devils once in 20 attempts prior to this encounter, but an unbeaten start to 2019-20 saw them arrive in confident mood and they forced David de Gea into one or two important saves.


Brendan Rodgers' side could not turn possession into regular meaningful chances, though, as Harry Maguire produced an accomplished display against his old club to help United to three points.United's bright start yielded a breakthrough eight minutes in, Rashford dispatching a confident penalty after he had been barged over by Caglar Soyuncu.

An earlier save by De Gea from James Maddison offered a glimpse of Leicester's threat, and Ben Chilwell brought another good stop out of the United goalkeeper with a half-volley.Leicester grew into the game but found it difficult to create openings, and United twice came close just after half-time through Juan Mata and Daniel James.

James wasted another decent opening after good work from substitute Fred, before Rashford's dipping free-kick clipped the woodwork, but it counted for little as United saw out just a second win in their last six home games.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 4-0 Crystal Palace: Son shines for sensational Spurs

Son Heung-min starred in the North London sunshine as his double inspired Tottenham to a 4-0 rout of hapless Crystal Palace.Mauricio Pochettino's side have not been at their most fluent in the early throes of the Premier League season but from the moment Son scored a classy 10th-minute opener Spurs ran riot.

Spurs scored all their goals in a devastating opening 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Patrick van Aanholt turning Serge Aurier's low ball into his own net, Son adding an expertly taken volley and Erik Lamela finishing a clinical move.


A failure to add to their tally in the second half was no reflection of their play and Pochettino can reflect on Spurs' most enterprising performance of the season.Spurs made the breakthrough when Son brilliantly controlled Toby Alderweireld's punt over the top before checking onto his left foot and picking out the bottom-right corner.

Son was influential in Spurs' second, picking out Aurier - making his first start of the season - and his cross hit Van Aanholt before wrong-footing Vicente Guaita.The best was still to come. Aurier again had space on the right and his deep cross was met with a blistering left-foot volley from Son.

A relentless first half culminated with Lamela slotting Harry Kane's excellent cross under Guaita at the end of a devastating break.Harry Winks dragged a daisy-cutter narrowly wide almost immediately after the restart and Son saw a clip over Guaita after chasing down a Mamadou Sakho mis-control fall agonisingly wide of the post.

Spurs were unable to inflict further damage but the hosts ran down the clock in the most comfortable fashion.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wolves 2-5 Chelsea: Abraham hits historic Blues hat-trick

Tammy Abraham continued his fine form by scoring a hat-trick as Chelsea defeated Wolves 5-2 at Molineux on Saturday.After doubles against Norwich City and Sheffield United, Abraham became the youngest Chelsea player to score a Premier League hat-trick in a brilliant display.

Fikayo Tomori got his first goal for the Blues with an ambitious 25-yard shot that wrong-footed Rui Patricio and swirled into top-left corner, with Abraham making it 3-0 before the break.


Abraham followed his treble with an own goal, while an effort from Patrick Cutrone gave Wolves the faintest of hopes before Mason Mount curled home a fine finish in the 96th minute to cap the win.
After a low-key start to proceedings Tomori's ambitious effort caught Patricio off guard and sailed home in the 31st minute.Tomori then fed Mount, who appeared to be fouled in the box. However, play continued and a kind ricochet was instinctively dispatched by Abraham on the turn.Abraham pounced again four minutes before half-time, getting in front of Conor Coady and powering a header from Marcos Alonso's cross beyond Patricio.

Antonio Rudiger, making his return from a month out with a knee injury, made way for Kurt Zouma at half-time but Abraham kept Chelsea in the ascendancy by flicking the ball past Coady and picking out the far corner in the 55th minute.

Romain Saiss helped give Wolves hope with a header that Kepa Arrizabalaga could only palm into the net off Abraham, who later hobbled off after an awkward landing.Cutrone opened his Wolves account from close range in the 85th minute after Kepa denied Matt Doherty.

However, Mount, who earlier failed to slot into an empty net after rounding Patricio, cut inside Jesus Vallejo and swept in a fine finish to settle matters.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus: Sarri watches on as champions drop first points


Maurizio Sarri watched on from the dugout for the first time but could not prevent Juventus' perfect start to the Serie A campaign coming to an end in a goalless draw at Fiorentina on Saturday.Juve's head coach was absent for the wins against Parma and Napoli due to a bout of pneumonia but was on the sideline in Florence as his side failed to find a way through.

The visitors lost Douglas Costa and Miralem Pjanic to suspected hamstring and thigh injuries respectively before half-time and never really got going at Stadio Artemio Franchi.


Fiorentina were without a point heading into this match - and without a Serie A win since February - but looked the more likely to score against a lacklustre Juventus, who move one point clear of Inter and Torino at the summit after playing a game more.
Franck Ribery was handed his full debut for the home side and fired in a low drive 16 minutes in that was saved by Wojciech Szczesny, who survived an earlier scare when his clearance ricocheted off Federico Chiesa and flew over the bar.Fiorentina keeper Bartlomiej Dragowski kept out efforts from Blaise Matuidi and Pjanic in the space of a minute, but Szczesny was also kept busy at the other end as Dalbert came close with his back-post header.

The hosts continued to look the more likely to score in the early stages of the second half as Dalbert's angled drive was palmed away by Szczesny, moments before Gaetano Castrovilli scuffed wide from a good position.

Chiesa's deflected effort skimmed the crossbar 65 minutes in and Nikola Milenkovic then headed straight at Szczesny from a good position as the match finished scoreless.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle United: Electrifying Mane and Salah keep up 100 per cent record

Sadio Mane continued his electrifying Liverpool form by scoring twice as the Reds came from behind to beat Newcastle United 3-1 and maintain their 100 per cent start to the season.

The Senegalese was seen venting his frustration at Mohamed Salah – who got the Reds' third – despite scoring against Burnley before the international break, though he seemed rather more relaxed as he took his domestic tally to four for the season.

Jetro Willems opened the scoring early on with a stunning first Premier League goal, but Mane levelled 21 minutes later with a similarly impressive finish and then punished a Martin Dubravka howler to ensure Liverpool led at half-time.


Salah eventually finished Newcastle off 18 minutes from time, justifiably going it alone after criticism for apparent greediness at Burnley, as the Reds became the first Premier League team to win 14 games in a row while scoring more than one goal in each match.

Visitors Newcastle took a shock lead after seven minutes, as Willems' fierce strike darted into the top-right corner from the left side of the box.Jamaal Lascelles was fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty in the 26th minute when he appeared to pull Joel Matip back in the air.But Liverpool got a deserved equaliser two minutes later – Mane picking out the top-right corner after Andy Robertson's cut-back.

A throughball from Roberto Firmino – introduced for the injured Divock Origi – then forced Dubravka into action and the goalkeeper made a mess of it, allowing Mane an easy finish just before the break.Emil Krafth almost restored parity early in the second half, blasting over at the back post after Liverpool failed to pick him up from Joelinton's cross.

At the other end, Dubravka produced a string of saves to keep the Magpies in the contest, denying Trent Alexander-Arnold and Firmino twice, all from close range.
There was no denying Salah, however, as the Egyptian burst past Fabian Schar and swept home.

Liverpool were denied further goals in the latter stages, as Dubravka thwarted Alexander-Arnold from point-blank range and Mane had what would have been a hat-trick clincher disallowed for offside against Firmino.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid 3-2 Levante: Hazard makes debut as Benzema double secures nervy win

Eden Hazard made his Real Madrid debut as they claimed a nervy 3-2 victory over Levante in LaLiga thanks to two goals from Karim Benzema.A brace from Benzema, plus a goal from Casemiro, ensured Madrid were firmly in control when 3-0 ahead at the break before a second-half fightback from the visitors.

Borja Mayoral, on loan at Levante from Madrid, pulled a goal back and the home team conceded again when Gonzalo Melero headed in from a corner, with Thibaut Courtois preserving their lead with a fine save in the closing minutes.


Hazard, who joined from Chelsea, was given a warm welcome when introduced on the hour, the Belgium forward having missed his new club's opening three games of the season with a muscle injury.
Madrid dominated the first half and their pressure and intensity was rewarded with a three-goal cushion at the interval.James Rodriguez caused problems for Levante – unbeaten on their previous two visits to the Bernabeu – with the Colombian's clever pass finding Lucas Vazquez, who sent Dani Carvajal scampering free on the right.

Carvajal's high cross was met by Benzema who stole space in front of his marker and glanced a header past Levante goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez.James was influential again five minutes later when he played a deft pass into the penalty area for Benzema, who clinically dispatched his second.

However, the pick of Madrid's goals came on the stroke of half-time, a sweeping team move culminating in Vinicius Junior's low cross for Casemiro to tap home from close range.Mayoral refused to celebrate against his parent club when he netted four minutes after the interval, the forward sweeping the ball home following good work by Carlos Clerc.

Benzema struck the base of the post but Madrid's defence were left hanging on for the final 15 minutes when a well-worked corner allowed substitute Melero to head in at the back post.

 

[Heisenberg]

Norwich City 3-2 Manchester City: Mistakes punished as champions rocked at Carrow Road

Norwich City shocked Premier League champions Manchester City 3-2 at Carrow Road despite the Canaries coping with a massive injury crisis.

The visitors' first league loss since January was self-inflicted as defenders made regular errors, but Norwich, whose goals came from Kenny McLean, Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki, fully deserved their second home win since sealing promotion.

Rodri drilled home with two minutes to go to give City hope of a point but defeat on Saturday leaves them five points behind Liverpool in the table, with the Reds holding a 100 per cent record after five Premier League games.


Norwich were without 11 players due to injury and had to name two goalkeepers on the bench, but Daniel Farke's men took a shock lead in the 18th minute.

City's weakness from near-post corners is well known and when Emiliano Buendia floated Norwich's first set-piece into that area, McLean ran into space to power home a superb header.

It got worse for the champions 10 minutes later. Rodri lost a 50-50 on halfway and City were immediately exposed with Pukki able to easily advance and square for Cantwell to score.

Raheem Sterling's header hit the post as City aimed to respond and Sergio Aguero halved the deficit before the break by nodding home a perfectly placed left-wing Bernardo Silva centre.

Nicolas Otamendi's moment of madness presented Norwich with a gift of a third after the restart, Buendia robbing the defender and feeding Pukki for an easy finish - his eighth goal of the season for club and country.

Pep Guardiola sent on Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez from the bench but the cavalry could not rescue the champions, although Rodri's 20-yard drive flew past Tim Krul to leave Norwich to see out a nervy finale.

pukki dope ,yako hama team ekatama gahanawane

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Watford 2-2 Arsenal: Defensive howlers cost clumsy Gunners

Mistakes from Sokratis and David Luiz saw Arsenal squander a two-goal lead as Watford earned a 2-2 draw in Quique Sanchez Flores' first game back in charge at Vicarage Road.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's deadly finishing, in the absence of the injured Alexandre Lacazette, looked to have steered Arsenal to victory after the Gabon international netted twice in 11 first-half minutes to take his tally to five in five Premier League games this season.

Unai Emery's men took the lead when Will Hughes was bundled off the ball and Aubameyang finished off a fast break with a cool finish, and the second arrived soon after courtesy of an astute Mesut Ozil throughball.

But Arsenal came under heavy pressure in the opening stages of both halves of an entertaining encounter and Watford pulled one back after a calamitous pass from Sokratis allowed Tom Cleverley a chance that he buried with aplomb.

David Luiz then conceded a penalty nine minutes from time that substitute Roberto Pereyra confidently converted, giving the Hornets a deserved point in a game where they had 31 shots at goal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

De Gea signs new four-year deal with Man Utd

David de Gea has brought the uncertainty surrounding his future to a close by signing a new four-year contract at Manchester United.The Spaniard’s fresh terms at Old Trafford include the option for a further 12-month extension to take him through to the summer of 2024.A prolonged stay for the 28-year-old in England had been mooted for some time, but no official word was given.

United are now delighted to announce that their four-time Player of the Year has put to pen to paper and brought to an end the speculation suggesting that he could head towards free agency.De Gea, who has been with the Red Devils since 2011, told the club’s official website : “It has been a privilege to spend eight years at this great club and the opportunity to continue my career at Manchester United is a genuine honour.

“Since I arrived here, I could never have imagined I would play over 350 games for this club. Now my future is fixed, all I want is to help this team achieve what I believe we can and win trophies again, together.

“As one of the senior players in the squad, I want to support and lead in any way that I can to assist the younger players, so they know what it means to play here.

“I still feel that I have so much more to achieve at the club and I truly believe that Manchester United can build on the club’s tradition of success and reward our fans for their support.“I am committed to continue repaying the fans for all of the care that they’ve shown me during the good times and the bad.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added after seeing his No.1 commit to a long-term project: “I am delighted that David has committed his long-term future to the club.

“Over recent years, David has proved himself to be the best in the world and a vital part of our plans as we look to take Manchester United back to where it belongs. David is a fantastic person and his outstanding quality provides the perfect base to our defence.“Over his time here, David has really understood the values of playing for Manchester United and now represents everything you want in a goalkeeper.“As a player he is still hugely determined and hungry to achieve more. We all look forward to working together to meet those ambitions over the coming years.”

During his time with United, De Gea has taken in 367 appearances.He is one of few players still on the club’s books to have savoured a Premier League title triumph, while he has also experienced FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield and Europa League successes.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations De Gea!

Love you!

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Eintracht Frankfurt 0-3 Arsenal: Saka punishes 10-man hosts

Bukayo Saka put 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt to the sword as Arsenal began their Europa League campaign with a 3-0 victory at the Commerzbank-Arena.

Making his second start for Arsenal, 18-year-old Saka opened his account for the club in the 85th minute and added an assist for Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang two minutes later as a much-changed line-up bounced back from a second-half collapse against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.

The late flurry came after Dominik Kohr was shown a second yellow card for a trip on Saka, with Joe Willock having opened the scoring, after another Saka assist, in an open encounter in Germany.

The trip to Frankfurt was expected to be Arsenal's toughest test in Group F – which also includes Standard Liege and Vitoria SC – but an impressive display ensured they will return to London with maximum points.

Arsenal should have taken the lead in the fifth minute when Lucas Torreira blazed over a half-volley from eight yards after Emiliano Martinez kept out Filip Kostic at the other end.The Gunners drew first blood when Saka released Willock on the counter-attack and the midfielder cut inside from the left before seeing a shot deflect off David Abraham and loop in off the underside of the bar.

Granit Xhaka struck the crossbar with an in-swinging free-kick from wide on the right that had beaten Kevin Trapp, but Eintracht's hopes of equalising ended when Kohr tripped Saka for his second bookable offence.Arsenal made the most of their numerical advantage and winger Saka whipped home a brilliant shot from 18 yards with five minutes remaining.

Martinez launched another late counter-attack as Eintracht continued to push, with Saka releasing Aubameyang – who earlier missed an open goal – for a cool finish that capped an important opening victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United 1-0 Astana: Greenwood's first goal settles Group L opener

Mason Greenwood's first senior goal earned a callow Manchester United team a stuttering 1-0 home win over Astana in their opening Europa League fixture on Thursday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put his faith in Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong, the trio's inclusion contributing to United's youngest XI in a Europa League or Champions League game since December 2012.

Yet with Marcus Rashford particularly inefficient in front of goal, the Premier League giants struggled to find a way to beat Astana goalkeeper Nenad Eric, who was in excellent form.

The hosts did at least claim victory. With 17 minutes to go at Old Trafford, Greenwood had the crowd off their feet with a stirring run and finish through Eric's legs to win the Group L game.United's young side made a vibrant start with Fred's 30-yard strike rattling the crossbar before Rashford somehow hit a close-range shot straight at Eric.

Greenwood rifled a powerful drive wide and Rashford sprung Astana's offside trap again in the 21st minute but again found Eric blocking his way when it looked easier to score.The 17-year-old Greenwood and Chong both arrived moments too late to convert Marcos Rojo's low cross as United tried to step up the tempo at the start of the second half.

A goalmouth melee saw the ball roll against the outside of Eric's left-hand post before Rashford thumped a free-kick just over the crossbar and Fred's 25-yard set piece was tipped wide.

Eric brilliantly tipped Jesse Lingard's speculative strike on to the woodwork with Diogo Dalot failing to convert the rebound, leaving Greenwood's moment of magic decisive.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!
​